Portsmouth 1 Reading 1: match report

There was much to encourage manager Steve Cotterill in the performances of
youngsters Matt Ritchie, whose low-centre-of-gravity and bludgeoning left
foot caused home fans to reminisce about Jamie O’Hara, and teenage forward
Nadir Ciftci, who claimed his second goal in two starts.

By Neil Trainis

2:32PM BST 15 Aug 2010

For the third successive fixture Cotterill could name only four substitutes but the promise of exiting administration and drawing on funds to ameliorate the squad is not assured. Balram Chainrai is apparently on the brink of taking over and lavishing Portsmouth with money to launch a promotion challenge but Cotterill suggested such a move was not imminent.

“I think there’s been something signed that gives (Chainrai) exclusivity to (complete) the deal. It might be the case, although I wouldn’t swear on it. I don’t think it would happen overnight anyway,” said Cotterill, whose side were robbed of a deserved win by Jimmy Kebe’s scrambled late equaliser after Portsmouth failed to clear a corner.

“There’s quite a bit of paperwork I would imagine involved in something like that to takeover the football club. I don’t know if it's something that’s imminent but it’s probably a question for (chief executive) David Lampitt and Chainrai himself.”

Cotterill suggested that neither Ritchie or Ciftci are ready for regular Championship football but the duo did their best to confound such a notion. Ritchie’s cheeky back-heel found Ciftci and his cross was deflected in by Gylfi Sigurdsson, who later struck a post with a free-kick.

Cotterill denied that Tommy Smith, absent through injury according to the manager, would leave Portsmouth but added he would “be looking to add to our squad this week some time.” Sweeping conjecture, though, dictates that clarification at Fratton Park is hard to come by.